Draper University, in partnership with the Cardano Foundation and Orion Fund, has launched the Apex Growth Accelerator, a 10-week, fully in-person residency program based in Silicon Valley. The initiative offers early-stage Web3 founders up to $70,000 in seed capital for a target 3.5% equity stake.
Applications for the residency remain open through September 1, with the core program scheduled to begin on October 12 at Draper University's campus in San Mateo. The accelerator is designed specifically for investment-ready teams operating on the Cardano network.
Focus on Infrastructure and Institutional DeFi
The program places its primary emphasis on foundational financial verticals rather than consumer-facing applications. Specifically, the accelerator targets real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, institutional decentralized finance (DeFi), and enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure.
Byron Murphy, Head of Growth at Cometa Labs, noted that RWA tokenization and institutional DeFi are becoming the core infrastructure through which users access and trade assets. According to program organizers, bringing traditional asset classes such as securities, commodities, and physical assets on-chain aims to reduce costs and eliminate friction.
The Rationale for in-Person Acceleration
Unlike the broader industry shift toward remote programs, Draper University requires founders to complete the 10-week residency on-site, offering an optional four-week extension afterward. Program officials emphasize that physical proximity fosters intensity, accelerates investor relationships, and allows decentralized teams to make decisions more rapidly.
The cohort aims to graduate 10 companies, culminating in a Demo Day pitching session for Web3 venture funds and institutional investors. However, program managers stated that graduation metrics alone do not define success.
According to Aaliyah Barker, Program Manager at Draper University, long-term success is measured over six to 12 months post-Demo Day by tracking ecosystem growth, capital-raising achievements, customer acquisition, and total value locked (TVL) metrics on the Cardano network.
